Premier’s Awards

Congratulations to the seven Algonquin College alumni nominated for the 2022 Premier’s Awards. The awards recognize college graduates making important social and economic contributions to Ontario. The awards are administered by Colleges Ontario and recognize alumni from schools across the province in the following seven categories: Apprenticeship, Business, Community Services, Creative Arts and Design, Health Sciences, Recent Graduate, and Technology.

This year’s nominees have all made remarkable contributions to the social and cultural fabric of our province and demonstrate how Ontario colleges foster the growth of incredibly talented and dedicated individuals.

Our 2022 Premier’s Award nominees are:

Apprenticeship

Lorrie Potvin

Author, Tradeswoman, Artist, Teacher
Auto Body Apprentice – Class of 1985

Lorrie Potvin was a trailblazer for women throughout her career in the the male-dominated automotive field. A Red Seal holder in autobody repair and refinishing, Potvin launched her career following a machine shop college program. In her early workplaces, and when she returned to college in 1983 to complete an Auto Body Repair program, Potvin was the first woman to join the men on the floor. She began teaching in the automotive section of the college Women in Trades and Technology program when it was introduced, training those following in her footsteps. She finished her career as a high-school shop teacher.

Read Lorrie Potvin’s biography


Business

Wendy Beckles

CEO and President, Shepherd Village
Financial Management
– Class of 1983

Wendy Beckles is a leader in longterm care. With more than 30 years of experience, her leadership shone during the COVID pandemic. As CEO and President of Shepherd Village, she has implemented procedures and worked alongside her team to ensure safety and low-to-no transmission of COVID-19. When it finally did make its way in from a patient returned from hospital the spread was minimized thanks to Wendy, who was then asked to join the Provincial Recovery and Planning Table to advise the Ontario Ministry of Health on the implementation and oversight of COVID protocols throughout the pandemic.

Read Wendy Beckles’ biography


Community Services

Randy Patrick

Deputy Chief, Peel Regional Police, Retired
Law and Security Administration – Class of 1980

Randy Patrick served as a police officer on the Peel Regional Police force for 41 years, retiring as Deputy Chief in May 2022. Patrick received many awards and commendations during his career, including being made a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces by the Governor General in 2016. He was a dedicated supporter of the force’s fundraising initiatives, and in 2005 founded the National Peace Officers Memorial Run for Canadian Peace Officers killed in the line of duty. The run, which raises awareness about the annual Police and Peace Officers Memorial, has raised more than $500,000.

Read Randy Patrick’s biography


Creative Arts and Design

Joseph A. Dandurand

Poet, Director, Kwantlen Cultural Centre
General Arts and Science (Theatre/Performing Arts) – Class of 1990

Joseph Dandurand’s work explores the heritage of the Kwantlen people as well as his own and his family’s journey through an often unforgiving world. His talent and passion for words and sharing stories has followed him through the many journeys of his life. Dandurand is a storyteller who lives by the value that “each of us has a gift,” and his gift is to tell stories that will have an impactful education for years to come. At a time when we look to artists for healing and for orientation, we are all fortunate to have Dandurand’s guidance.

Read Joseph A. Dandurand biography


Health Sciences

Frank Fiorenza

Inventor and Vice President, Sales and Marketing, McArthur Medical Sales
Respiratory Therapy – Class of 2002

Frank Fiorenza has more than five pieces of patented technology, three registered trademarks and over 18 patents/patents pending in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. His inventions include the Flusso Bypass Adapter, which has helped thousands of patients and protected millions of healthcare workers from potential airborne aerosol particles like the COVID virus. He credits much of his success to the decisions he made early in his career and to taking the leap to enter a college program. Today, he shares his knowledge as a mentor and leader within the medical community and helps entrepreneurs get their healthcare innovations to market.

Read Frank Fiorenza’s biography


Recent Graduate

Keshana King

Global youth entrepreneurship leader
Business Administration – Management and Entrepreneurship – Class of 2019

Keshana King is a tutor, mentor and poet, passionate about inspiring young people. She credits hercollege education with building her self-esteem and her belief she could reach challenging goals. King is a Mindtrust Leadership Development Program alumna and a DYLOTT Black Diplomats Academy Fellow.Through her studies, King discovered social enterprise and entrepreneurship as a way to effect change. She continues to work for change through organizations like the British High Commission in Canada and the United Nations Association in Canada. Already an entrepreneur and a changemaker, King imagines a future working for a global corporation or non-profit overseas.

Read Keshana King’s biography


Technology

John Hewie

National Security Officer, Microsoft Canada
Computer Technology – Computing Science, Class of 1993

John Hewie started out tinkering with computers for fun, worked hard to achieve a leadership role at the world’s largest software company and became an industry authority on cybersecurity who takes every opportunity to make a wider contribution. Hewie is Microsoft Canada’s National Security Officer and leads the company’s strategy to develop trust in Microsoft technology and services. Hewie manages security programs with governments, threat intelligence sharing agreements, cloud compliance with Canadian regulatory and legislative requirements, coordination with local law enforcement, and engaging broadly with the security community to help build a safer digital environment for all Canadians.

Read John Hewie’s biography